


fire escape

by maddielle



Series: that big picture 'verse [4]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Future, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Future Fic, Light Angst, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, References to Drugs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-21
Updated: 2020-02-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:03:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22818160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maddielle/pseuds/maddielle
Summary: Stiles sniffed despite himself. “What’s wrong?” Derek asked, softly.“Honestly, nothing bad.”“Tell me anyway.”Stiles and Derek deal with the pressures of long-distance dating and university life.
Relationships: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Series: that big picture 'verse [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1614649
Comments: 5
Kudos: 310





	fire escape

**Author's Note:**

> set near the end stiles' third year at uni
> 
> i used to get stressed while studying, i just wanted to write support+love for a tired college student

Leaning against the wall of the cramped apartment, Stiles drained the last of his beer from his cup and sighed, zoning out of the conversation Danny was having beside him with his date. The party was lively enough, various people Stiles recognized from his classes wandering around, flirting, laughing, smoking. He wrinkled his nose; if Danny ever brought someone home who stank up their place like this, he would have words to say.

Through a break in the crowd, Stiles caught a glimpse of Isaac in the kitchen area where he had one hip leaned casually against the counter. Allison, having stopped in LA for a two-day layover in her travels, was telling him a story with a bright smile on her face. They chuckled at something she’d said, angling their bodies towards each other.

Though happy for them, Stiles wondered vaguely when would be a good time to inform their alpha of the new romance blossoming within his pack. Pretty much all of the business between Scott and Allison was water under the bridge at this point, but Stiles would generally consider it good etiquette to let your friend know you wanted to date his ex-girlfriend, additional werewolf bonds and responsibilities aside.

“Hey,” Danny said, beside him. “Ben and I are gonna take a smoke break. You good here?”

Stiles nodded and gestured with his cup. “Yeah, yeah, go ahead. I’m good.”

On his own and without a drink to distract himself with, Stiles sighed as his thoughts turned miserably to the pending workload he had coming up in the next two weeks. He hadn’t even intended to go out that night. Danny had walked into their apartment earlier in the day to find Stiles rubbing his eyes raw in frustration at a particularly elusive coding assignment and announced that they needed to blow off some steam. Stiles would have settled for a few hours at the gym to clear his head, but he’d figured some socialization wouldn’t hurt him.

So, there he was. Kind of bored, very much sober, and wishing for a hot shower and a good night’s sleep more than anything else.

After a few minutes, someone joined him in leaning on the wall away from the main excitement of the party. Mike, Stiles thought, or maybe Malcolm. He thought he recognized the blond hair and freckles from a database class he’d taken the year before.

“Hey,” Mike, or Malcolm, said. “Stiles, right?”

“That’s me. And you’re…?”

“Mark,” the guy said, with a friendly smile. “We were in 201 together.”

“Shit, Mark. I remember now.” Stiles shook his head. “Sorry, man. My brain is totally fried after this past week.”

“Yeah, I feel you. Grant’s assignment gettin’ you down?”

“You have no idea. It’s a fucking headache, I swear I’ve been stuck on the last block of code for a solid two days.”

Mark nodded in agreement. “It was tricky.” His eyes slid sideways to glance at Stiles. “Me and my buddy finished it up this morning if you wanted to take a look.”

“For real?” Stiles raised his eyebrows. “Yeah, that would be super helpful. I’d grab your number, but I left my phone charging somewhere.”

“Mine’s in my coat pocket in the hall. C’mon, you can give me yours.”

Stiles nodded absently, momentarily distracted by Isaac and Allison as they migrated from the kitchen out to the apartment’s very full balcony. He wondered idly if it was really safe to have that many people out on it at once. These older student buildings were in sketchy condition at best.

“Stiles?”

“Huh-? Oh, yeah. Sure.”

He followed Mark down the darkened front hall to where most of the partygoers had thrown their jackets over a random chair. Mark crouched to sift through the pile until he pulled out a denim jacket and shook an iPhone into his palm.

“Here,” he said, thumbing open the contacts app and handing the device over.

“Thanks.” Stiles squinted at the bright screen as he typed in the digits of his cell number. “You’re a lifesaver, man. I can’t wait for this stupid assignment to be done-”

“Do you want to go out?”

Stiles paused and looked up. He blinked a few times.

“Sorry, what?”

Mark blushed a little, which admittedly did look adorable on his freckled skin. “I just… wanted to ask if you wanted to go out. With me.”

“Like on a date?” Stiles said, frowning a bit in confusion.

“Yeah...” Mark seemed to be slowly realizing he’d made a mistake, eyes widening in slight horror. “I’m sorry. Someone told me back in freshman year you were into guys, and I’ve always had a bit of a crush-”

“Hold on, hold on,” Stiles cut in, feeling a bit hysterical. “I’m not- I mean, I am! I am into dudes. Definitely very, very bisexual. Um.” He let out a loud breath. “I have a boyfriend.”

“Shit.” Mark closed his eyes in embarrassment. “Jesus, I’m sorry.”

“No! No, no, don’t worry.”

“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“It’s all good, you wouldn’t have known.” Stiles handed the phone back to him, fingers unsteady. “You’ll let me know about the homework, yeah?”

“Yeah, for sure,” Mark said, backing up and hooking a thumb over his shoulder towards the main room. “I’m just gonna…”

“Yeah, okay.”

“See you around.”

Stiles was left standing alone in the dark hallway, shock slowly wearing off as he watched Mark disappear back into the throng.

It definitely wasn’t the most rational reaction to the situation, but he suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to cry. A cocktail of confusion and exhaustion and stress stewed uncomfortably in his belly, his skin feeling hot and strange as he ran a hand through his hair, and all he wanted to do was drop into the pile of coats and hold his head into his hands.

 _Get a grip_. _You’re fine._

As usual, forceful self talk didn’t make much of an impact.

He’d been standing there for a while, frozen with indecision and discomfort, when Danny passed by, presumably on his way to the bathroom.

“Hey,” he said, placing a hand on Stiles’ arm. “You okay?”

Stiles’ twisted his mouth into what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

“Did something happen?” Danny stepped close. “You need to go for a walk or something?”

Bless Danny Mahealani and his unwavering acceptance of Stiles’ sometimes erratic mental health.

“No, I’m fine.” Stiles sighed, looked at his feet, and then back out to the living room. He really didn’t feel like facing that entire scene again. “Can you grab my phone for me? I think it’s plugged in by the stove.”

“Yeah, hold on.” Danny disappeared for a brief moment before returning with Stiles’ phone, charging cable neatly wrapped around it. “Here.”

“Thanks. I’m just gonna go outside for a sec.”

“Text me if you want to leave, okay? I’m down to head home whenever. Ben’s not feeling great, so he doesn't wanna stay much longer.”

“Will do.” Stiles clapped Danny on the shoulder and went to open the apartment’s front door.

The main hall of the building smelled of must and old booze. Stiles’ heard the thud of bass from at least two other apartments on his way to the exit and got a good whiff of weed in the stairwell. Normally, he wouldn’t be too bothered by the smell, but just then it was nauseating. He hurried down the single flight, thankful for second floor apartments, and finally left the building.

The cool night air instantly did wonders for clearing his mind. After a few deep breaths, he brought out his phone and dialed one of the small handful of numbers he had memorized, not wanting to waste time delving into his contacts. The line rang for a long time before there was a click and some shuffling on the other end.

_“Yeah? Hello?”_

“Hey. It’s me.”

A pause. Then, _“Stiles, it’s late. Are you alright?”_

“Yeah. Yeah, I, uh…” The upset feeling returned as he searched for the right words, but he pressed it down, praying his voice wouldn’t waver. “I’m good. I’m at a party with Danny, took a moment outside. It was kinda loud in there.”

There were some more muffled sounds through the line; Stiles pictured Derek sitting up slowly, blinking away fatigue, and he promptly wanted nothing more than to be lying next to him in bed, all aspects of college life firmly in the past with nothing but a restful night’s sleep and morning sex to look forwards to.

Stiles sniffed despite himself.

 _“What’s wrong?”_ Derek asked, softly.

“Honestly, nothing bad.”

_“Tell me anyway.”_

After needing a second to swallow, Stiles leaned heavily against the outer wall of the building.

“I’m just tired,” he said, voice low. “The next two weeks are gonna be rough, and I’m already so exhausted, I don’t know how I’m gonna do it. I can’t stop getting so worked up and stressed about everything I have to do, and I really tried to forget it all just for tonight, but I wasn’t feeling it, and then this guy hit on me, and I didn’t-”

 _“Someone came on to you?”_ Derek asked, sounding more alert.

“It wasn’t like that,” Stiles said, shaking his head. “He’s just some guy from class. He asked me out, I said no, it was harmless.”

_“You’re not hurt?”_

“No, I would’ve told you if I was.” Stiles paused and bit his lip. “He just didn’t know about you. Honestly, the worst part was that it made me remember how much I miss you.”

Derek was silent for a moment. _“I miss you too,”_ he murmured finally. _“I’m sorry things are tough right now. I wish I could be there with you.”_

“Yeah, I do too.”

_“Tell me about what’s coming up. Let’s talk through it.”_

Stiles began with the assignment he’d been stuck on for two days, and then he found he couldn’t stop words from spilling out. He told Derek about his ridiculously unfair professor from Thursday morning lectures and how two of his final exams had been scheduled within twelve hours of each other and how he had this huge project due in a week’s time but none of his group members were stepping up to help him with it. He complained and vented and laid out all his frustrations while Derek listened patiently, adding in comments and suggestions where he could. Eventually, Stiles ran out of steam, and he had to admit he felt better for the ranting.

“Shit,” he said. “Sorry. I’ve just been whining at you for like ten minutes.”

 _“More like fifteen,”_ Derek commented. It sounded to Stiles as if he was smiling.

“My bad.”

_“No, I’m glad you called.”_

“Really?”

 _“Yeah. You don’t have to keep things bottled up,”_ Derek told him. _“Your dad’s here, Melissa is here, I’m here. We’re all so proud of you, Stiles. All the work you do… It’s incredible. You’re so smart, and resilient.”_

Stiles had no words.

_“Please don’t be hard on yourself, okay? You’re gonna pull through, and we’ll be seeing you in less than three weeks.”_

“You’re right.” Stiles sighed deeply and lifted his gaze. The sky was clear that night. “I love you.”

_“And I love you. You gonna go home and get some sleep?”_

“Yeah, I’ll text Danny and head out.”

_“Okay. Call me tomorrow, let me know how the assignment goes.”_

“Yep. G’night.”

_“Night.”_

Stiles smiled warmly to himself as he ended the call and pocked his phone. After taking a few more minutes to enjoy the peace and quiet of the night, Stiles sent off a text to Danny and rolled his shoulders, ready to finally sleep and face the next day with renewed energy.

Stiles’ restored self confidence and drive lasted him about two weeks, which was enough to see him through the last of his homework assignments and projects but not quite to the end of his final exams. He only had three this semester, most of his professors preferring take-home work over scheduled tests, and the first two had gone fairly well. The last was definitely going to be the easiest of the bunch since he’d been getting straight A’s in all his coursework, but his ability to handle pressure was running dangerously low.

He’d been hunkered down in his favourite cubicle in the library since seven that morning, mostly alone since it was nearing the end of the exam period. The test was at six-thirty in the evening, meaning he had about three more hours to cram. He knew deep down that he’d be fine if he gave up now, but his brain wouldn’t give him a break. Even Danny, a model student if Stiles had ever met one, had left for coffee and food about a half hour ago.

Gazing blankly over another long-winded diagram, Stiles groaned under his breath and dropped his forehead onto the desk. He had a headache, his stomach was twisting with ignored hunger, and he was craving more caffeine than was probably good for his heart. After a moment during which he seriously considered falling asleep right where he was, he heard footsteps approach his desk, and mumbled, “Danny. Please tell me you got extra coffee.”

“I’m guessing you’ve probably had enough caffeine already today.”

Stiles sat up too quickly, vision swimming before focusing on the very real and very present legs, torso, and then face of Derek Hale.

“Oh my god,” Stiles croaked, as Derek pulled up a chair and sat next to him. “What are you _doing_ here?”

“Providing support in your last stretch,” Derek said, placing a wrapped sandwich and a coffee cup on his desk. “Danny told me where you were. It’s tea, by the way. I could hear your leg jiggling the desk from the elevator. Did you know that your t-shirt is on inside out and backwards?”

Stiles could only gape like a beached fish for a few seconds. Then, when his brain finally caught up to the unexpected turnabout of his previously pathetic situation, he threw himself forwards. Derek caught him without hesitation, wrapping his arms tightly around his boyfriend and hugging him hard enough to bruise.

“Fuck, I needed this. Needed you,” Stiles whispered, shamelessly rubbing his face into Derek’s neck. He smelled so damn good. “I’ve been seriously running out of steam.”

Derek left his hand on the back of Stiles neck when he pulled back. “You’ve been doing amazingly,” he said. “You’re almost there. This is the last one?” he asked, gesturing to the open textbook.

Stiles rubbed his hands together and slouched in his seat. “Yeah, it’s at six-thirty.”

“How are you feeling about it?”

“Honestly, fine. It’s my easiest course. I could’ve stopped reviewing ages ago.”

Derek hummed thoughtfully, thumb rubbing against Stiles’ shoulder. “Why don’t you pack up and come outside? You can fuel up and get some fresh air. Take a second to breathe.”

“Yeah.” Stiles nodded. “That sounds great, actually. Let’s do that.”

They spent the last bit of time before the exam sitting and talking on a bench not far from the library, basking in the gentle spring sunlight. Derek held his hand the entire time, grounding him, and the feeling lingered as Stiles made his way into the gymnasium and sat with the rest of his classmates. The test ended up being just as straightforward as he’d expected. When he finished early, he almost skipped out of the room and back outside to where Derek had waited with a book to occupy him.

Stiles bounced up to him and threw his arms around his neck.

“I’m done,” he mumbled, face mashed against the fabric of Derek's top.

“You are,” Derek said softly, threading his fingers through Stiles’ hair. “So. Home?”

Stiles smiled wider than he had in weeks.

“Yeah. Home.”

**Author's Note:**

> big love to everyone working away at school; take care of yourselves


End file.
